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No Dog

Told through the eyes of 14 year old Justin on his street apprenticeship for a life of survival, No Dog gives a raw glimpse into the rollercoaster subculture of the 90s London graffiti scene. Based on the critically acclaimed novel The Lost Boyz: A Dark Side of Graffiti, by Justin Rollins.

  • DARIUS NOROWZIAN
    Director
    Born A Believer
  • DARIUS NOROWZIAN
    Writer
    Born A Believer
  • Justin Rollins
    Writer
  • Todd Von Joel
    Producer
  • Jaime Winstone
    Key Cast
    "Jeanette"
    Kidulthood
  • Richard Amado
    Key Cast
    "Letaz"
  • Tyler Brindle
    Key Cast
    "Justin"
  • Daniel Phelan
    Key Cast
    "Baf"
    Chance
  • Olly Nice
    Cinematographer
  • Adam Hall
    Cinematographer
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, youth, Social
  • Runtime:
    24 minutes 9 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 6, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    16,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, Arri Amira
  • Aspect Ratio:
    4:3
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - DARIUS NOROWZIAN

Darius is an award-winning director based in the UK, from a bloodline of photographers and filmmakers. His work is deeply rooted in the documentary world. The craft of working with real people and uncovering interesting stories has become the backbone of most of his work.

Starting his film career at Ridley Scott’s production company learning the ropes until he began directing commercials and content for brands such as General Electric, Allianz, Volvo and Vodafone.

It was there that he honed his directing talent, crafting films with actors and non-actors alike. Under his direction, actors came across as real people and real people felt comfortable in front of the camera. He has worked with a listers such as Lewis Hamilton, Gordon Ramsay, Jaime Winstone, Jenson Button, Gordon Ramsay and Damien Lewis.

Having finished a round-the-world campaign for Hilton Hotels, creating 11 documentary-based films celebrating 100 Years of Hilton, he recently finished his biggest achievement in film - documenting one of Saudi Arabia’s new giga projects.

With a solid experience built up working in commercials and a passion for directing a feature, natural progression led him to uncovering longer form narratives where he was able to tell richer, captivating stories. Darius has a 25 minute documentary for Red Bull on Turkey’s No.1 motorbike rider under his belt, as well as his seminal documentary Born A Believer, which picked up numerous awards on the festival circuit alongside his short film Out Of Love.

No Dog (www.nodogfilms.co.uk) has just completed, and he plans on developing it into his first feature.

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Director Statement

In the spring of 2018, Justin watched a documentary I made about ex-gang members trying to get off the streets (Born A Believer).
In his book, he paints a vivid picture of his life as a violent delinquent teenage gang leader living life on the streets of South London in the late 1990s/early 2000s, influenced by hip hop, the need to prove himself, and a lack of care for the world.

Inspired by his inside view of London gang life and what this could bring to British cinema, we arranged to meet up. As we spoke, the troubled, violent Justin that I read in the book seemed a far cry from the one sat in front of me. What shone through was his drive to overcome the internal battles he had as a young boy, full of mental health issues that stemed from racism, a lack of love in the home, and a need for a sense of belonging which he never got.

Creating a film that has mental health at its heart whilst constantly questioning the notion of nature or nurture, is what has drawn me towards this exciting project. It will feel viciously raw on the outside, set against the backdrop of 90s gang and graffiti culture, whilst intimately questioning the human condition that people from all walks of life will be able to relate to.

The intimate storytelling approach and the themes we cover, whilst set in a world that is so foregin to most poeple, is what makes me believe we have somehting truly unique on our hands.